Royer Labs has introduced the R-12 Ribbon Microphone, designed for both studio recordingand live sound applications. The new R-12 delivers high-quality performance at a sub-$1K price, offering thenatural sound of a Royer ribbon mic with the added versatility of onboard bass-cut and pad switches. The R-12excels at capturing electric and acoustic stringed instruments, vocals, brass, pianos and organs, as well asdrums and percussion instruments.
The R-12 features the same 2.5-micron direct-corrugated ribbon element as used in Royer’s industry-standard R-121 microphone, enabling it to handle the extremely high SPLs (160dB @ 1kHz) that Royer R-series mics are known for.
The R-12 features Royer’s proprietary onboard phantom-powered electronics circuitry mated to a beefed-up transformer, which combine to deliver condenser microphone output levels for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and other quieter sound sources. The R-12’s active electronics also place a perfect load on the ribbon element at all times, enabling the microphone to deliver full sonic potential regardless of the preamplifier or DAW it’s plugged into.
By engaging the R-12s switchable -15dB pad, the mic’s output level drops to that of Royer’s non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is preferable for louder instruments like drums and high-volume electric guitars where more headroom is needed. Headroom-related distortion on even the loudest sound sources is non-existent.
The R-12 is also outfitted with a switchable high-pass filter precisely tuned to reduce low end proximity buildup and rumble, making it an easy choice for capturing vocal performances, close-miking instruments and loudspeaker cabinets, etc.
Completing its rich feature set, the R-12 houses an internally shock-mounted ribbon transducer, which helps isolate and protect the ribbon element while also reducing handling noise. Combined with a built-in triple-layer wind screen system, the microphone’s ribbon is effectively protected against plosives and other wind-related noise and air blasts.
John Jennings, President of Royer Labs, commented on the new R-12 Ribbon Microphone, “The R-12 is a beautifully designed ribbon mic, delivering world-class performance at a killer price. It has roots in our non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is in studios around the world and has been on Dave Grohl’s insanely hot live guitar cabs for years, and it contains active ribbon mic circuitry based on what we use in much more expensive Royer models. It’s an extremely versatile ribbon mic that we’re proud to release now.”
The Royer Labs R-12 Ribbon Microphone and mic mount ship in a hard-shell case, with a street price of $899 and matched pairs available for $1,849. The R-12 is expected to become available in mid/late July 2025. For additional information about the R-12, please visit www.royerlabs.com/r-12/.
At the shop, our engineers are always tinkering on breadboards, pouring their hearts into passion projects that sometimes get sidelined by part obsolescence, indecision, or just not fitting our usual vibe. That’s why we’re stoked to launch Proto Club, where anyone can snag these limited-run pedals, like the Tritone (Proto 227), a slapback pitch echo born as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe but too wild for its palette, packing a call-and-response octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth for killer three-note arpeggios. It drops today, for only $149.99, but it’s gone after two weeks! Your first Proto Club purchase scores you the exclusive Proto Club Passport booklet, stamped and ready to unlock killer perks—collect stickers with each pedal to earn bonus stuff, like unreleased or staple production pedals. Plus, you’ll get a dedicated email to send feedback straight to our engineers, making this a true community vibe. Ready to get weird with us? Catch you at the Proto Club!
Our inaugural foray into the Proto Club began as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe. On that pedal, we had room for six programs, and a handful of them were just a bit too outside the scope of that device. This one, the Tritone, was universally loved by the crew but the vibes clashed with the palette of the Soft Focus Deluxe a little too hard. It’s been on some of our own pedalboards for some time. Unfortunately, it’s stayed there away from public eyes and ears, but fortunately, it fits the exact vibe of the Proto Club!
Proto Club was established for this exact reason; we have tons of effects on our breadboards and programming suites that we can’t squeeze into the release schedule, things that don’t quite fit into our lineup, circuits with too niche of an audience, or “our versions” of beloved classics, direct to you stripped of frill. This lets us get a little more creative for all you effects freaks out there. Y’all are our people!
You wanted experimental? You got it! The Tritone features a call-and-response type octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth. When coupled with an on-board slapback echo, this gives you the ability to seamlessly craft bursts of three-note arpeggios that can stand alone as a killer lead augmentation or can align with your rhythm parts to fill in the gaps with some interesting texture. Synth players? Please. The Tritone absolutely loves electronic instruments and takes them with ease. You can keep the action close to your chest with the addition of a wet-dry blend of the overall signal as well as one for the tritone. You can adjust the timing of the arpeggio as well as the echo feedback for some chaotic oscillation in certain settings.
Jackson is once again partnering with Misha Mansoor to release three new signature guitars, The Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6 in Red Crystal and Blue Sparkle and The Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 in Riviera Blue. Developed in close partnership with Misha, these Juggernaut metal guitars are built to withstand the demands of Misha’s steadfast and fleet-fingered technique. Perfect for both classic and progressive metal players, these guitars deliver the modern sound that every shredder needs to ignite their tone.
“This refresh came about because every few years we want to see what we can do…these guitars travel around the world and they need to be road ready,” said Misha Mansoor on his new signature guitars. “It’s a no nonsense guitar that looks good, sounds good, and plays good.”
Djent forefather, Misha Mansoor, has gained widespread acclaim as the mastermind behind the axe-centric progressive metal band Periphery. Based in Washington D.C., Periphery is renowned for pushing the limits of progressive metal, using detuned, extended-range instruments to craft a sound that is both technically complex and unapologetically heavy. Misha Mansoor, guitarist and producer, co-founded the band in 2005. With the same precision and innovation that defines Misha's playing, the Juggernaut signature gives players the power to transform their sound.
The premium Juggernaut models feature a 25.5” scale length, poplar body and bolt-on caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement, wrap-around heel and oiled back finish for greater playing comfort. With a 20” flat radius ebony fingerboard that features rolled edges, fans can enjoy blazing fast leads. These models feature 24 jumbo stainless steel frets and offset dot inlays. Lastly, the Luminlay
side-dots will guide the guitarist's path even on the darkest of stages, while the heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel allows for convenient neck relief tweaks.
Misha worked closely, as he did with past models, to develop the exceptional uncovered direct-mount Jackson MM1 pickups. Unwilling to sacrifice tone, these pickups can be shaped with a five-way blade switch, single volume control, and a single tone control with push/pull feature that allows for players to engage or disengage tone options. Designed for articulate heavy picking, the humbuckers deliver a well-balanced sonic range with rich dynamics, intentionally left uncovered to enhance brightness and clarity.
The Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 comes equipped with an EverTune F6 Model bridge, engineered to maintain perfect tuning and intonation across the entire neck, even with low tunings. Its counterpart, the Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6, features a string-through-body hardtail bridge that delivers enhanced sustain, rock-solid tuning stability, and simplified string changes. Both bridges are built to withstand intense playing conditions, providing the unwavering stability essential for Misha's signature heavy metal style.
“We’re beyond thrilled to be partnering with Misha Mansoor on his latest signature guitar collection. His innovation and vision perfectly align with our passion for pushing the boundaries of tone and design,” said Jon Romanowski, VP of Product of Jackson Guitars. “This collaboration reinforces Jackson’s commitment of providing for players who demand nothing but the best.”
Jackson Expands Its Signature Juggernaut Range With Misha Mansoor
PRO SERIES SIGNATURE MISHA MANSOOR JUGGERNAUT HT6 ($999.99 USD, £949 GBP, €1,149 EUR, $1,899 AUD, ¥165,000 JPY) The Pro Juggernaut HT6 offers a Jackson HT6 string-through-body hardtail bridge, Jackson sealed die-cast locking tuners, Dunlop® dual-locking strap locks and a gig bag. It’s available in Red Crystal or Blue Sparkle with a matching reverse Jackson 3x3 AT-1 headstock.
PRO PLUS SERIES SIGNATURE MISHA MANSOOR JUGGERNAUT ET6 ($1,399.99 USD, £1,399 GBP, €1,649 EUR, $2,599 AUD, ¥231,000 JPY) The Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 features an EverTune® F6 Model bridge that will keep your guitar perfectly in tune and intonate all the way up the neck to handle low tunings. This 6-string Juggernaut is wrapped in a statement- making Riviera Blue finish with a color matched reverse Jackson 3x3 AT-1 headstock and black hardware. It also features Dunlop® Dual-locking strap pins for maximum stability.
Following his historic three-night stand at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom earlier this year — hailed by BILLBOARD as “a religious experience” and moving NPR to rave “Paul McCartney has so much swag it’s ridiculous” — Paul McCartney and his acclaimed Got Back Tour will make their wildly anticipated return to North America this fall.
Got Back’s 2025 run of 19 newly announced dates marks Paul’s first extensive series of shows across the US and Canada since 2022. The tour kicks off September 29th with Paul’s Greater Palm Springs area live debut at Acrisure Arena and runs through to a November 24-25th finale at the United Center in Chicago. Got Back 2025 will feature Paul’s long-awaited return to Las Vegas, Denver, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Tulsa, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Montreal, and Hamilton – plus a few cities that will be hosting their first-ever Paul McCartney concerts, Albuquerque and the aforementioned Greater Palm Springs area.
General on sale for these Got Back tour dates will begin July 18th at 10am local time. For further information, pre-sales etc., check paulmccartneygotback.com.
Irrefutably one of the most successful and influential singer-songwriters and performers of all time, McCartney’s concerts bring to life the most beloved catalogue in music. With songs like “Hey Jude,” “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Let It Be” and so many more, the Paul McCartney live experience is everything any music lover could ever want from a rock show and more: hours of the greatest moments from the last 60 years of music – dozens of songs from Paul’s solo, Wings and of course Beatles songbooks that have formed the soundtracks of our lives.
Paul McCartney launched his Got Back tour in 2022 with16 sold out shows across the US that led up to his history-making set at Glastonbury in June 2022. In 2023 Paul performed 18 shows as Got Back rocked through Australia, Mexico and Brazil. In 2024, Paul amazed capacity crowds at more than 20 dates spanning from South America and Mexico to the UK and Europe.
Paul and his band have performed in an unparalleled range of venues and locations worldwide: From outside the Colosseum in Rome, Moscow’s Red Square, Buckingham Palace, The White House and a free show in Mexico for over 400,000 people to the last ever show at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park where The Beatles played their final concert in 1966, a 2016 week in the California desert that included two headline sets at the historic Desert Trip festival and a jam-packed club gig for a few hundred lucky fans at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, two Glastonbury Festival headline slots, rocking the Bowery in New York City for a week of spontaneous club shows, and even one performance broadcast live into Space!
Featuring Paul’s longtime band – Paul “Wix” Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (bass/guitar), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums) – and constantly upgraded state of the art audio and video technology that ensures an unforgettable experience from every seat in the house, a Paul McCartney concert is never anything short of life-changing. The Got Back Tour also features the Hot City Horns — Mike Davis (trumpet), Kenji Fenton (saxes) and Paul Burton (trombone) — who first joined Paul in 2018 to perform at Grand Central Station ahead of embarking on the Freshen Up World Tour in the same year.
PAUL McCARTNEY – GOT BACK 2025
September 29 — Palm Desert, CA — Acrisure Arena October 4 – Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium October 7 – Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater October 11 – Denver, CO — Coors Field October 14 – Des Moines, IA — Casey’s Center October 17 – Minneapolis, MN — U.S. Bank Stadium October 22 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center October 29 – New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center November 2 – Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena November 3 – Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena November 6 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle November 8 – Columbus, OH — Nationwide Arena November 11 – Pittsburgh, PA — PPG Paints Arena November 14 – Buffalo, NY — KeyBank Center November 17 – Montreal, QC — Bell Centre November 18 – Montreal, QC — Bell Centre November 21 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum November 24 – Chicago, IL — United Center November 25 – Chicago, IL — United Center
GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen has unveiled all the information for his upcoming third album, The End. The album – released by BMG – is slated for release on October 24. The 10-track album clocks in at 39-minuttes and showcases the evolution of Wolf and his songwriting since he launched his solo career in 2020. Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette.
The End is available for pre-order in multiple configurations including limited edition vinyl colors, signed insert version and retailer exclusives here: https://Mammoth.lnk.to/TheEndAlbum.
Continuing the tradition of writing all the songs and performing all the instrumentation and vocals himself, Wolfgang Van Halen set out to challenge himself beyond what he did on his debut and sophomore release, Mammoth II. From the hypnotic opening of “One Of A Kind” to infectious closer “All In Good Time,” Wolfgang demonstrates his proficiency as a musician and songwriter. Songs like “Same Old Song,” “Happy,” and “Selfish” will fit perfectly alongside older songs that fans have already come to love from Mammoth. Mammoth released their first single in May, and it has shot up the charts currently in the Top 5 at Active Rock radio. The success of the single was propelled by the landmark music video – a remake of the classic film From Dusk ‘Til Dawn – directed by Robert Rodriguez and Greg Nicotero. The video is approaching 4-million views and contains cameos from Danny Trejo, Slash, Myles Kennedy, and of course his mother Valerie Bertinelli. To coincide with the album announcement, Mammoth is releasing the track “The Spell” for fans to check out.
The tracklisting for The End is:
One Of A Kind
The End
Same Old Song
The Spell
I Really Wanna
Happy
Better Off
Something New
Selfish
All In Good Time
Mammoth has become known for being road warriors, constantly taking to the road to play their music for the masses whenever they can. 2025 will continues that trend as the band will be heading out with longtime friends in CREED on the Return of the Summer of ’99 Tour this summer. Backed by his live band featuring Jon Jourdan, Frank Sidoris, Ronnie Ficarro, and Garrett Whitlock, Wolfgang and Mammoth hit the road July 9in Lexington, KY through August 30 where the tour wraps in Halifax, NS. To celebrate the album being in stores this October, Mammoth will be heading out on a Fall headline run. The End Tour kicks off on October 31 and runs for 5 weeks before it wraps up on December 7. The tour will make stops in Las Vegas, NV (November 1), Atlanta, GA (November 8), Montclair, NJ (November 14), Chicago, IL (November 26) and Tempe, AZ (December 6) to name a few. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest on the run. More information on all tickets and VIP passes can be found at www.mammoth.band.
Jackson Expands Its Signature Juggernaut Range With Misha Mansoor
